Greene County Public Health: Third vaccine dose available for immune compromised

MIAMI VALLEY — Greene County Public Health will be making third doses of the coronavirus vaccine available to people starting Thursday.

It is limited to people who have compromised immune systems, according to Laurie Fox, spokesperson for the agency. She outlined the conditions that qualify for the third dose:

-Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids (20 milligrams or more of prednisone daily or an equivalent) including: o alkylating agents o antimetabolites o cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive o transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs o tumor-necrosis (TNF) blockers o other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory.

-Advanced or untreated HIV infection

-Moderate or severe immunodeficiency such as DiGeorge or Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome

-Received a CAR-T-cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant and are within two years of transplant or taking immunosuppression therapy

-Received a solid-organ transplant and are presently taking immunosuppressive therapy

-Undergoing cancer treatment – solid tumors and hematologic malignancies

Fox said the shots will be free and available at the agency’s offices at 360 Wilson Drive, Xenia.

“Those who have this immune suppressed system may not be able to build that same level of immunity to the two-dose series, so that’s why they want to give this third dose to try to help build that immune system up a little bit more,” Fox said.

The clinics will run each Thursday in Xenia from 2:00-3:30pm.

Fox reminded people that the third dose is different than the booster shot that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and that most people will qualify for eight months after their second shot.

She said the booster will be available for people around September 20th.

Fox said it comes at a time when cases have been up around Ohio and for those who have already received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine it will help them.

“This Delta variant has presented some real challenges and our goal is to try to keep people safe and healthy, out of the hospital and away from death. So that’s our goal and we’ll do everything to make that happen,” Fox said.

Fox encouraged people that, no matter where they live in the Miami Valley, to check the web site of their local public health agency for updates and additional information on future vaccine clinics.

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